Lock means for nuts and bolts.



PATBNTED' DEC. 29, 1903.

- w. LAY.

LOCK MEANS FOR NUTS AND BOLTS.

APPLICATION lILED SEPT. 18, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Q? I armada; S,

UNITED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LAY, OF ENID, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 747,985, dated December29, 1903. Application filed September 18, 1903. Serial No. 173,719. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM LAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Enid, in the county of Garfield and Territory of Oklahoma,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Look Means for Nutsand Bolts, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention provides improvements in that class of lock means usuallyutilized for preventing accidental displacement of nuts from bolts ofthe type embodying the use of a spring member for cooperation with thenut to frictionally hold the same from unscrewing because of vibrationor jar due to causes which are obvious. The lock means comprising myinvention is adapted for application to machinery, rail-joints,bridgework, and the like.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result reference is to be had to the following descriptionand drawings hereto attached.

While the essential and'characteristic features of the invention aresusceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is a plan view showing my invention as applied toa joint for themeeting ends of rails. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the spring-plate,which is adapted to frictionally lock either the bolt or nut separately,or it may be used to lock both at the same time. Fig. 3 is a detailperspective view of the rigid spacing member. Fig. 4 is a transversesectional view through a rail-joint having the invention applied.thereto.

40, Corresponding and like parts are referred .to in the followingdescription and-indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

As. before premised, it is designed that my lock means he used, ifdesired, to prevent turning of the bolt as well as to'prevent unscrewingof the out from the bolt. The inventiou is illustrated, as aboveindicated, showing the lock-means used for cooperation with both thebolt and nut.- In the drawings the rail ends'are'designated 1 and are ofcom- Fish-plates 2 are disposed mon structure.

adjacent the meeting ends of the rails in the usual manner. The rail andfish-plates are provided with openings to receive the bolts 3, and nuts4 are adapted to be screwed upon the threaded ends of the bolts in amanner readily seen. The lock means used consists, essentially, of aspring-plate 5, which is provided with projections 6 upon thecorresponding end portions thereof, by'which the said plate is spacedfrom the adjacent part to which it may be attached, and in this instancesaid part consists of, the fish-plate 2. The projections 6 aforesaid areformed by rolling theends of the spring plate or plates should more thanone of these-elements be used, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. Thestructure of the projections 6 is advantageous in that they serve toadditionallyprovide spring means for spacing the plates 5 from theadjacent parts. When the spring-plates 5 are used in connection with twoormore bolts, the same are provided with a plurality of openings 7,which receive the bolts after they have been passed through the partswhich-are spring-plates are adapted for cooperation with two or morebolts or nuts rigid spacing members 8 are provided, which are to bedisposed intermediate the severalbolts or nuts, as the case may be, toeffect an independent spring action of those portions of thespringplates which are disposed in frictional contact with the heads 9of the bolts 3 or with the under side of the nuts 4. The spacing members8 consist of solid bodies havingend lugs 10 projected therefrom toreceive intermediate thereof the spring-plates. The spacing members arethus held from displacement by the lugs 10 aforesaid in a manner whichwill be readily seen.

in cross-section, so as to facilitate the bending of the spring-platesunder the action of thereagainst.

It will be understood that the spring-plates 5 may be used for lockingthe bolts alone or for locking the nuts should it be necessary to applythe same, as shown .in Fig. 1 of the drawings. It will also be apparentthat the spring-plates may be used in connection with a single nut orbolt, in which instance they to be secured together. Further, when theThe bearing-surface of the body of the members 8 is of convex form thenuts or heads of the bolts which bear would be provided with a singlebolt-receiving opening 7 and the use of the rigid spacing members wouldbe dispensed with. The under sides of the nuts may be made concave, andit is desirable that the heads of the bolts be of like formation. Thelock means may be used in connection with the forms of nuts and bolts atpresent commonly in use, since it is not essential that the structure ofeither the nuts or bolts be modified in any particular to adapt the samefor use in connection with my lock means, this being an essentialadvantage. The double-spring effect secured by the provision of thespring projections 6 and the spring action of the plate-bodiesthemselves is also of considerable advantage.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. Inlock means for nuts and bolts, the combination with a spring-plate forprevent ing turning of either of the aforesaid elements, springprojections extended from the said plate to space the same from the partadjacent which it may be disposed and rigid spacing means adjacent saidspring projections.

2. In lock means for nuts and bolts the combination with a spring-platefor preventing turning of either aforesaid elements, spring projectionsextended from the said plate to space the same from the part adjacent towhich it may be disposed and intermediate rigid spacing members adjacentto and cooperating with the spring projections aforesaid.

3. In lock means for nuts and bolts, the combination with aspring-plate, the same being provided with openings to receive bolts,the end portions of the plate being provided 40 with spring projectionsintegrally formed therewith, and independent rigid spacing membersprovided with convex bearing-surface disposed intermediate the springprojections of the plate and cooperating with said projections, and lugsprojected from the spacing members and preventing displacement of thesaid members from cooperating relation with the spring-plate.

4. In lock means, the combination with a plurality of bolts, nuts, aspring-plate provided with a plurality of openings to receive the boltsaforesaid, removable spacing members disposed upon either side of thenuts of the bolts between the said spring-plate and the part adjacentwhich the same is disposed.

5. In lock means, the combination with a plurality of bolts, nuts, aspring-plate provided with a plurality of openings to receive the boltsaforesaid and having its end por- 6o tions rolled to form spacingprojections, rigid spacing members disposed intermediate the nutsaforesaid to cause independent spring action of the portions of theplates in contact with the said nuts,and means for preventingdisplacement of the rigid spacing members.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM LAY. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

JOHN C. Mooan, J. E. MOOARTY.

